The Timekeeper's Daughter
by Fairyhearts and El
Summary: El: I have finally gotten around to changing the summary! Makarov is forced to take in the hormonal teenager of a now dead friend. A time skip later and she has grown into one of the strongest mages in Fiore. However, her secrets lead the guild into a whole load of trouble and it isn't certain that it can be overcome. Set before the Phantom Lord incident!
1. Chapter 1

**Me: Mina, this story is from my friend, El. I have no idea where the story is going so enjoy and I hope you'll want to read more.  
Levy: Neither fairyhearts-chan nor El-chan own Fairy Tail.  
Me: Thanks Levy-chan. Mina, enjoy!**

**Chapter 1**

**The Beginning and the End**

Charis walked through the long hallway. It was the strangest government department she had ever seen. She wasn't even sure if she actually had seen it before. The hallway seemed endless even though she could see the single door at the very end of it. That wasn't the strange part though. The strange part was the odd chant that her mother had made her say before opening the door. Everything had been so secretive in the past week. It was really annoying her. Charis's mother was the Secretary of Alliances in the government. Charis had been her mother's assistant ever since she was ten. She was now sixteen and still enjoyed her job.

Eventually, she reached the end of the long hallway. It had felt like she had been walking for miles and through several continents. Charis knocked on the door with a gold plaque saying "The Council". As she pushed it open the door made a loud creak. She cringed as the low murmur of the voices ceased abruptly. She walked into the room, blushing, but soon forgot to blush as she saw the strange sight before her.

The room was circular and had a blue tinge to it that emanated from the smaller circle of blue mist in the middle of the room. There were probably about twelve blue-cloaked figures standing in mid-air over the blue mist staring at her. Luckily for Charis, they were about as shocked as her but for a completely different reason.

The blue-cloaked figures were actually part of a group known as The Council. It was the control centre of all the worlds. This included the two main categories of worlds: the non-magical worlds and the magical worlds. As it happened, the petite, brown-haired girl had come through the door of the only non-magical world, Earth. The Council hadn't been visited from that world since it had been taken from the grasp of magic, which had been millenniums ago. The eldest member of The Council regained composure the quickest and inquired, "What is your purpose here, child?"

Charis stood up straight and announced, "I have a letter from the Secretary of Alliances, Sara Chishiki." A flicker of recognition passed over the face of the eldest member but the rest looked utterly dumbfounded. Charis marched purposefully over to the eldest member and handed him the letter.

The letter read:

_To all the members of the Council who remember my name and actions,_

_I, Sara Chishiki, hereby recognise the dangers of my position in this non-magical world. I have evidence that I am being targeted by certain Dark Guilds that wish to remove hope's only chance of survival, myself. By the time you have read this I will no longer be in this world but with the rest of my ancestors, watching over you and keeping the balance and order. With my last vestiges of power, I have slowed time around my apprentice who has come to you with this letter so that my legacy can remain in this world with another. I warn you, my apprentice has much power and knowledge. You must treat her with respect and reverence. She could be your saviour from some of the dark and evil things that remain in the unswept corners of all magical worlds. With my last dying breath, I bequeath my land and inheritance of the magical world to this individual, Charis Moonheart. I beg of you to take care of her of her until she finds the full potential of her powers. I had long ago told Makarov, my old friend, that any apprentice of mine would go to him for further training. Please tell him that he has full charge of Charis until she turns seventeen. Finally, you must not let Charis back to this non-magical world under any cause. She is in grave danger and cannot be discovered by any of my dark enemies. Her end would be the signal for eternal darkness in all worlds._

_SARA CHISHIKI_

"You are Sara Chishiki's apprentice?" asked the member of The Council. "I am," Charis replied. Her mother had said that Charis was never to tell anyone that she was her daughter but, if they asked, she was to say she was an apprentice. "May I please have your answer?" Charis asked. The Council member looked sad for a moment. He motioned for her to come with him as he stepped away from the circle of mist.

"Come with me," he said, "You have much to learn."

**Mirajane: Who's this Charis girl? Is she coming to Fairy Tail? Eep prepare a party for the new member!  
Erza: Mira, calm down. We don't know whats happening yet.  
Gray: *shouting in the background "Wanna go flame-brain?"  
Natsu: *also in the background "Sure thing, stripper."  
Me: *sweat drop Do they ever stop fighting ?  
Erza: I'll take care o...  
Lucy: *background "Will you two shut it? I'm trying to read in peace and quiet!"  
Natsu: Shouldn't have come to the guild then, Luce.  
Lucy: *pissed One more word and you'll be bed-ridden for a week.  
Natsu and Gray: A-aye!  
Me: She can be worse than Erza sometimes. *shivers Thanks for reading. See ya soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**The Truth…Even if it Hurts**

Charis sat numb with shock at the news The Council had given her. Words kept on drifting out of the conversation and into her head. How was this happening? This couldn't be happening. How could her world go from being wonderful to shatteringly awful? However, she knew it was true and that she could trust them. She could feel it in her bones. It was only her grief that was letting her disagree.

"_I have some bad news to tell you."_

"_What? What is it? Is it something to do with the letter? I have to get back with your answer straight away. That is what Sara is always telling me."_

"_You won't be going back with any answer, I'm afraid."_

"_Is that a threat to Sara or is there some other reason for that weird comment?"_

"_Dear child, Sara has known for quite a while that she has been in danger from certain people who want to harm her. She has known that they wanted to harm her and she wanted to keep you, her only apprentice, from harm so that her skills would not be lost."_

"_What on Earth are you going on about? She wanted someone to have the skills to be Secretary of Alliances? I don't think so. Where do you come from, Wackoland?"_

"_In her letter, Sara wrote that you had great knowledge and power. This power that she speaks of is unused in Earth. It is called magic."_

"_Magic? Are you serious? Maybe it is true. I feel like I can believe you on this one."_

"_Listen to your gut. It is telling the truth. Sara saved the magic worlds from many evils and she would like you to carry on her work."_

"_I've got that, but where is Sara gone? I don't know why she can't do it herself."_

"_My dear, like I said, Sara knew people wanted to harm her. She knew that she wouldn't last long before they found her. She was like that, you know. She knew things, could feel them in her gut."_

"_OK, but why can't she do this stuff? If she was hurt by people then she doesn't need a successor, she needs help!"_

"_That is what I'm trying to tell you. Sara is no longer in this world. She has passed on from this stage of life to the next. Sara is no longer alive."_

"_What? How can you know this from a letter? I mean, it's not like she could know that she was going to die. If she was so powerful then couldn't she just stop them? You need to let me get back to her. I need to look after her!"_

"_Sara has lived in a non-magic world for so long that her magical powers have decreased significantly. She used the remaining amount of her power to protect while you got here. As I said, there is no possibility that Sara could have lived or she would have let you go back to Earth."_

"_What? I'm not allowed back to Earth? I'm not allowed back to my home? The only place I feel secure is over there. I may be Sara's apprentice but I didn't learn any magic in Earth. I don't even think I have any. What about my friends? What about Nini?"_

"_We have sent a messenger back to Earth to collect your belongings. What is this Nini you are talking about?_

"_Nini is my puppy. She was a present from Sara. She is my last living connection to her."_

"_That was smart of her."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Sara supplied you with a magical alliance or friend as you might call it in Earth. It is to help you when you are learning your magical skills. It can give you extra energy if you need it. They can also talk in the magical worlds."_

"_Wait a second! Nini is magical. She can talk in magical worlds. Sara is dead? (sob) This is just too much. Please just leave me alone."_

Charis curled up and started crying from the grief that was pent up inside her. She couldn't believe that her mother, her source of strength and comfort was dead because of stupid magic. She lay there for what felt like an age, tears silently dripping down her cheeks until all of her tears dried out and all she felt was a raw ache inside her where her heart used to be. Charis was determined to avenge her mother's death. She knew that she could trust nobody, that trust was only a weakness that caused pain. She stood up with great effort, washed her face with the basin of water that had been left for her in the room and prepared for what was to come.

"Child, it is time for us to inform your guardian that he is to take care of you and of your mother's death," the kindly member of The Council told Charis. She nodded and watched as he drew up a portal of some kind and called in a penetratingly deep voice, "Makarov! We require you."  
Charis gaped as a tiny old man appeared from the portal. He brushed some imaginary dust off his hat and bowed, "What do you require of me?" The kind member of The Council frowned as he thought about how to break the news to Makarov. "Come into the private chambers, I have something rather important to tell you," he ordered.  
After a few minutes, Makarov, her guardian, came out wringing his hands and looking very distressed. "You'd better come with me then, child," he said distractedly. He took her hand and soon she was swirling through a myriad of random figures and colours before finally arriving at a small cottage. "This is where I live," Makarov announced, "now you do too."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**The Realisation**

**Me: Hi, why won't anyone read this?!  
Levy: I know, i can't wait for El-chan to write more...and I'm already finished Chapter 8.  
Me: Yup, yup. Well, you know what to do!  
Levy: Neither fairyhearts or El own Fairy Tail or any of Mashima-san's characters. *grin  
Me: Well, there you have it! Please read.**

Makarov looked at Charis as she gaped at the tiny cottage. "I live there?" she said unbelievingly. Makarov smiled at her. "Where did you think you were going to live?" he smiled, "I'm your guardian now." Charis smiled nervously and Makarov frowned almost melancholically. "What is it? Charis asked worriedly. She knew that trusting people only led to hurt but she couldn't help but feel sorry for this old man. Makarov shook his head. "Nothing is wrong," he answered, "You just look so like your mother and you've even developed her mannerisms."

Charis froze to the spot. "What did you just say?" she asked sharply. Makarov jumped at her harsh tone. "I said that you look like your mother," he replied, "Sara was always so like you. Headstrong, bold but dignified. She was like a daughter to me." Charis stared at him. "S-S-Sara isn't my m-mother," she stammered, "I'm her apprentice."

Makarov just laughed. "I was her greatest friend. Sara I mean," he said sadly, "She left to go to the non-magical world to protect you, the baby growing inside of her. She didn't even tell your father. I was the only person who ever knew her secret. I knew who you were as soon as I saw you. You look exactly like she did when I was teaching her magic. Who knew that I was going to get so old as to teach you magic too." Charis stared at him as though he was mad. "You taught my mother magic?" she asked. Makarov nodded and smiled. "She was always the best student I ever taught," he said smiling sadly, "I can't believe she's actually gone."

Charis tried to smile comfortingly at Makarov, now her guardian, but there was a large lump in her throat and all she could manage was a small grimace without crying for the mother that she had just lost. Makarov sensed that she was upset and immediately changed the subject. "Let's go inside," he said briskly, ignoring the look of gratitude on her face. He paused before opening the door. "There is something that you need to note," he said gravely, "Before you step inside the house you have been held in a kind of limbo. There is no access to magic here, even less than in Earth. Once you step inside, all of the magic in the area will allow your power to rush into you. It will be quite overwhelming and it may hurt slightly. The pain increases with the amount of power you have but it lessens the more times you make the transition from no magic to magic. It was very painful for me the first time I came back from The Council, but now it just feels like a minor headache. I doubt you have anything to worry about." Charis smiled confidently, while wondering how powerful Makarov actually was.

Charis and Makarov walked through the door together. As soon as Charis stepped over the threshold of the house, she could feel a change in the air around her. However, as quickly as the change came, it went again and was replaced by a searing pain in her head. Charis screamed from the agony that she was feeling. She looked accusingly at Makarov, her eyes slightly glazed from the pain. "You never told me it was going to hurt this much," she whispered before passing out from the pain.

Makarov stared at her with wide eyes. This should not be happening. He was one of the most powerful wizards in the magical kingdoms and he had only got a migraine, nothing like this. This meant that Charis was the most powerful wizard in all existence. She had the ability to save the entire world…and destroy the entire world. "Oh Sara, what have you done this time?" Makarov muttered as he set about trying to move Charis to a better place.

**Me: Um...hi! I'm still in shock. HOW CAN SOMEONE BE THAT STRONG!?  
Levy: Wait 'til you read the next chapters...*evil grin  
Gajeel: I agree with Levy. I don't normally read but this Charis girl is the most bad ass character ever...female I mean.  
Erza: I heard she can destroy the world with one finger!  
Gray: Awesome.  
Me: Where'd Lucy go?  
Everyone: Natsu!  
Me: hehehe Well R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Learning Magic**

**Me: Yo, what's up peoples?  
Lucy: That's grammatically incorrect! And peoples isn't a word!  
Me: And grammatically is?  
Lucy: Yes, it is!  
Me: Why are you reading a dictionary?  
Lucy: I'm researching for my novel!  
Natsu: Ehem...neither El or fairyhearts owns Fairy Tail. If they did, I wouldn't be in it...I'd be dead and Lucy would be going out with Gray. *puke  
Me: I'm a complete NaLu supporter.  
El: So am I.  
**

"Harder! Harder! You have to get this right!"  
"Alright! Just one second, I need to catch my breath"

Charis bent over the sink and splashed water on her face. She was exerting everything she had into learning magic. She stared into the mirror. She could hardly believe it had been a whole month since she had left behind her old world, she felt like she had been here her whole life. She was already looking different. Her eyes seemed to be getting greener and her instincts were getting sharper. Her once light brown hair had darkened a shade or two and was now constantly held back in a loose bun with two strands persistently straggling down the front of her face. She used to always have her hair down and made sure it was perfectly straight every day. She couldn't care less anymore; all she cared about was avenging her mother and getting strong enough to do so.

Charis tucked her stray hair behind her ears and straightened her back. Makarov smiled approvingly and pointed at a person-shaped target with a target marking the heart. Charis stared at it apprehensively as she remembered her mother. Was this what her killers visualised when they killed her? Charis couldn't and wouldn't become a monster. She shook her head fearfully and whispered, "I can't do it, I just can't do it." Makarov sighed and wondered if he had brought it on her too soon. He pointed at a different target and watched as she pulled every ounce of her strength into directing a burst of energy at it. He decided to finish for the day because of how much energy she had to put into the shot when it had barely damaged it. He couldn't understand it. She was capable of so much power but it was all locked inside her and she seemed unable to reach it.

Charis watched Makarov as he walked inside and knew that he was disappointed in her. She dropped her head in dismay and followed him. Suddenly, she knew that the bottle on the shelf in the hall was going to fall on him. If she didn't stop it he was going to get really hurt. "Watch out!" Charis cried, "Wait!" She rushed into the hall after him and grabbed the bottle just as it was flying through the air. She sighed in relief as the path of Makarov getting hurt was extinguished from her mind. She was getting all of these possible paths of what was going to happen in the future embedded in her mind. She could only see a few days forward at the moment but she was sure that she would get better with practise.

Charis stopped in the kitchen where she knew Makarov was going to question her. She decided to save him the trouble of calling her there.  
"I'm already in the kitchen," she called. Makarov appeared.  
"How did you know that I was going to call you to the kitchen?" he asked.  
"That was silly of you. If I knew that the bottle was going to fall, I would have known that you were going to call me into the kitchen even if I hadn't got the paths."  
"The paths?"  
"That is what I call the way I see the future because there like paths. Lots of them can reach the same conclusion but all in different ways."  
"You can see in the future?"  
"That is what I was saying, wasn't it?"  
"Aaaaah. I think I get it now."

Makarov smiled, a whole load of things were becoming clearer now. Maybe all this power that she had stored up had nothing to do with attacking power. Maybe it was the power to see the future. That was a power that very few people had. In fact, the only person he knew who had that power was Charis' father. He shuddered at the thought of telling her who her father was. No, that story would have to wait. She wasn't quite ready yet.

Charis smiled as she saw that Makarov was away in his own world of thought. She knew that he wouldn't emerge from it for a few hours. She walked away and went to her room to get ready for bed. She thought about how things had changed between herself and Makarov since she had arrived. She had allowed herself a certain amount of trust and affection for him. It was the most trust she had for anyone since her mother had died. She was now calling him "Papa" affectionately because that was what his son used to call him. Charis knew that he missed his son, but at least he still had Laxus. Laxus was the only other person she had ever seen in Makarov's house. He was also the only other person who knew who she was. He was the person she told her lies to as well. She called herself Charis Moonheart when she introduced herself, like the name her mother had called her in the letter to The Council. She never used her mother's name anymore. She never called herself Charis Chishiki anymore.

The following morning, Charis brought Nini for a walk and prepared herself for the day to come. She knew that Makarov was probably going to have lots of new training techniques planned for today seeing as he knew that she could see the future. She had utterly no idea what was going to happen. Walking Nini helped her to relax and enjoy what was to come. She smiled as she walked along and started to look forward to the day ahead.

When Charis got back she went to the usual training area but instead of finding the usual targets for her to fire at, there was just a whole load of rubber mats on the floor. "What is going on here?" she asked quizzically.  
"We're going to try a new defensive technique today," Makarov growled, "We're going to be learning some physical defence skills."  
"Oh," Charis replied, slightly disappointed.  
"OK, first we are going to do…" Makarov droned on about how to do all of the defensive manoeuvres and that she shouldn't expect to win first time. Charis yawned as she listened to him. She'd been doing martial arts since she was five. She wasn't worried at all.  
"Now, we're going to start with me doing a simple attack on you and you retaliate, OK?" Makarov asked.  
"Sure," Charis replied.

Makarov started towards her as he prepared to make his move. Charis narrowed her eyes and turned her senses to high alert. She noticed the twitch of his right hand and his eyes wandering to her left shoulder. He was going to try and flip her over by putting a lot of pressure on her left shoulder. Charis smiled. She was so going to take him down. As he reached out his right hand Charis moved slightly to the right and, with lightning speed, swept his legs from underneath him. Makarov let out an "Oomph" as he landed on the floor. Charis grinned at him and held out her hand to help him up. "I did martial arts for ten years when I was in Earth," she explained. Makarov grunted as he pulled himself off the ground. "I'll just have to up my game then, won't I?" Makarov grinned in excitement. Charis sighed. He was enjoying this way too much.

The rest of the day continued in a similar way. Makarov would attack Charis but almost always end up on the floor. Charis quickly got bored. "Can't we do something like we did before?" Charis moaned, "This is way too easy. I was really enjoying doing the target practise." Makarov sighed and started walking back inside. He was finished for the day. "Hey, Papa!" Charis called, "Wouldn't it be cool if I was able to spin that target around?" Charis pointed at a target on the wall. Makarov gave up trying to rest and went back outside again. "Show us what you've got then," Makarov challenged.

Charis pointed lazily at the target with one finger, not expecting anything to happen. She imagined the target spinning around in the air and sent a small burst of magic energy from her finger. She looked at Makarov as though daring him to laugh, but he was staring at the target with wide eyes. Charis turned and saw it spinning around in the air. She looked in awe at her finger. "Did I do that?" she asked incredulously. Makarov just nodded. "You've got both of your parents' skills," he whispered in awe, "You can keep time like your mother and see the future like your father!"  
"You know who my father is?" she asked but Makarov wasn't listening.  
"This is impossible," he said, "Nobody has had two powers like that before. Maybe two smaller powers, but never as big as those two." Makarov set his face in determination. He was going to have to do a lot to keep Charis in check. It would be terrible if she turned out like her father.

**Me: Who is Charis's father?!  
****El: You'll find out *Sweet smile  
****Mira: You guys need anything?  
****Me: Chocolate milkshake.  
****El: Vanilla milkshake.  
Both: Please!  
Mira: Sure thing.  
Me: You're writing more, right?  
El: I have my HB pencil, I'm ready for anything.  
Happy: That's a good Erza impression.  
El: Thanks, I've been practicing.  
Me: Yes...ON ME! Please, review mina!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**The Fall**

**Me: Yay, yay, yay, yay! Now we can read more.  
El: You've already read it.  
Me: It's so good I'd read it a hundred times more.  
El: *sweat drop you're such a drama queen.  
Me: * sarcastic Gee, thanks.  
El: Haha. Well, care to do the honors?  
Me: Together.  
Both: We don't own Fairy Tail.  
Me: We're not _that_ cool.**

Charis was exhausted because of all the extra training she had been receiving. Ever since Makarov, and herself, had found out that she was a freak with two really powerful magical skills, he had been training her almost all the time. She could barely stand at the end of the day because she had used so much magic power during training. First, they would practise her future skills. She could now see up to a month in advance! Then they would have a break before starting on her timekeeping skills. It was really confusing. Charis could control all items with time. She could influence time around an object and influence time on the object. Makarov had just started working her on people. He, of course, was the dummy. He would never let anyone else take the risk of being annihilated. Well, he never said that but she knew that he thought it. She always held back when she was practising on him. So far it had been fine but working on people was more unpredictable than working with inanimate objects. She was always scared that something would happen to him. She could never let herself believe that practising on Makarov was a good thing. It was awful to see him in pain when she did something wrong. She was astounded that he was putting himself in so much pain to help her. He was treating her like his own daughter and not just an annoying child who he had been commanded to look after.

So far, Makarov had been very understanding but today he decided to tell Charis what he thought that she needed to hear. Charis had just done her usual practise on inanimate objects so he decided to test her. He told her to move the target from where it was sitting to just beside him. He had seen her mother do things like that without difficulty. She should be able to do it as easily, if not more so. However, Charis shook her head. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to do anything and that she would be helpless. That was when Makarov had enough. He needed to give her this lecture for her own good.

"Charis," Makarov started, "I know you have had difficulty with trust because your mother died and you couldn't even say goodbye but you have to knock some sense into yourself now. It's been over four months since that tragedy happened. I've been able to get over it and Sara was like a daughter to me. I know that you'll feel sad and that is completely understandable but you have to let yourself trust people. Even if you can't trust other people just yet, you have to start trying to believe in yourself. You are well able to do all the exercises that I have just given you but you got scared just because I set you a new one. Nothing will be set routines if you ever have to protect yourself or protect anyone else. You have to be able to think on your feet and know to trust in yourself when you're doing something new. I know that you have wanted to join the guild that I am master of, Fairy Tail, for quite a while but I cannot let you until I am certain that you can trust in yourself. I have confidence in every single one of the members in Fairy Tail that they can do this. Unfortunately, you can't and until you can you will be unable to join the guild. This is all I have to say on the matter. We are finished for today."

Makarov walked away from Charis and she felt a disappointed feeling settle in her stomach. She had really wanted to do well in her training and to please Makarov but all she had done was make things worse. She was really shocked at what Makarov had to say. She had never heard so many words come out of his mouth all at the same time. However, she knew that what he said was true and that she was going to have to start getting her act together. She was going to have to start believing in herself and thinking on her feet.

Charis didn't know how long she had been standing there thinking about it before she made up her mind about what to do but it must have been a long time because Makarov was staring at her from a window with a frown on his face. Charis determinedly stared at the target that Makarov had told her to move. She felt a tingling sensation fill her as she filled herself up with magical energy. She pointed to the target and made it move up before dropping it to where Makarov had been standing while he made his long speech. She looked up at him and grinned, knowing that he would be pleased with her. He looked as though he expected her to come in but she wasn't finished yet. She concentrated a lot of magical power and pointed at the target. She was trying to make it go back in time. It was old and battered and Charis looked at it in amazement as it started to get new and shiny again before, eventually, it went back to its manufacturing stage and disappeared. She gasped as she realised she had been holding her breath. She could barely believe that she had actually done it. She suddenly heard a slow clapping from behind her and realised that Makarov had come outside to watch her while she had been doing it. She turned slowly and waited for his reaction. He was looking at her with such an amount of pride that she felt like anything could happen and she would never feel bad about herself again. He beckoned for her to come inside as though he had a surprise for her. Charis followed him without a fuss as she realised that she was exhausted.

"I have a surprise for you," Makarov said uncertainly as though he wasn't sure what she was going to think about it, "I have had a complaint from a village about some monsters ransacking their village every night. They wanted me to help them and I said that I was going to bring someone to help me. That someone would be you, of course." Charis stared at him as though he was mad. "It's to help you with your trust issues and thinking on your feet," he explained hurriedly.  
"Are you sure I'm ready for this?" Charis asked nervously.  
"Of course I am," he said disgruntledly, "I wouldn't have said you were coming if I didn't think that you could help!" Charis smiled, convinced that everything would be fine. She nodded her head in agreement.

The next day Makarov and Charis walked down to the village that was having trouble with the monsters. They had to stay there until evening because that was when the monsters came. Charis was still trying to get used to having magical things talked about so casually here. It was making everything feel so surreal even though it was just like Earth. Except with magic, of course.

When darkness fell, everyone with magic went with Makarov and Charis to try and help them to get rid of the monsters. Apparently, there were about fourteen monsters in total but they also expected that they had a leader. They were the kind of monsters that always had a leader. That leader would be bigger, stronger and more powerful than the rest of them but would rarely come out to do the dirty work unless he was needed.

Charis searched the paths in her mind. The monsters were going to get here in about fifteen minutes. She was getting excited. She could hardly wait to prove to Makarov that she was able for anything that he could throw at her. Maybe then he would let her join Fairy Tail.

Charis readied herself as she saw the shapes of disfigured monsters appear over the skyline. She poked Makarov to let him know that they were coming because he had been checking to make sure that everyone knew what to do. He sent the word around to the other wizards to tell them that the monsters were nearly here. Charis stiffened up in excitement. Nobody actually knew what the monsters looked like or what they could do but so far nobody in the village had been hurt so Makarov expected that they were quite weak against magic.

As the monsters came closer, Charis raised her eyebrows in shock. They were tiny! They were so small that they would barely come up to her waist. Their skin was a dark blue and they had cloths wrapped around their waists. They had small slanted eyes that seemed to emanate cruelty and their mouths were brought up into an evil smirk. However, as soon as they noticed the small group of wizards ready to attack them, they halted in shock before one of the monsters let out a shrill shriek that seemed to bounce around the nearby hills for miles. It seemed to be a sort of battle cry because as soon as the monsters heard the cry they surged forward to fight.

Charis noticed that they all had small daggers in their hands. She concentrated on as many of them as she could and pulled them out of their hands before dropping them at her feet. She had already done half of them in one go, so she concentrated on the other half and succeeded in confiscating them as well. She grinned at Makarov and he grinned back before striking a pesky monster back fifty yards where it lay there breathing heavily, unable to move. The monsters seemed to be avoiding Charis after she had got rid of their weapons so she concentrated on the future. She helped quite a few people with what the monsters had hoped to be surprise attacks but suddenly she felt something very big lurking in the paths of her future and seemed to be certain to happen. She searched in her paths of the future and blanched as she realised what was coming. She darted to Makarov's side and told him what to expect. The leader of the monsters was coming and he wasn't going to be so easy to beat. From what Charis could see in her mind, he was an eight foot monster that was about four feet wide and had incredible strength in his forearms. He was going to get there in about five minutes.

Charis tried to determine what he could do but he was so unpredictable that nothing was certain. As he reached the village, all of the wizards gulped with fear. He was terrifying. He was a blown up version of his minions but he had more cunning in his eyes and he was utterly furious. Charis saw who was closest to him. She was a young wizard. She was the youngest wizard in the whole group. She was a water mage but she was still struggling a little with her new-found powers. Charis knew that she wasn't going to be able to do anything against this monster and she was pretty sure that he was going to punch her off her feet. She ran towards the girl just as he started to aim for her. Charis pushed her out of the way and stood up in relief. Nobody had been hurt. However, what she had done seemed to infuriate the monster even more. He thumped over to her and raised his fist. Charis seemed to be seeing everything in slow motion. She froze to the spot as all her training went out of the window. She couldn't remember how to do anything. She couldn't even run out of the way. His fist closed in on her and she squeezed her eyes shut in expectation. However, instead of feeling any pressure on her side from a huge fist she was pushed to the ground. She opened her eyes in shock and watched as Makarov took the huge blow that she had been aimed. He was thrown off his feet and into the air. He landed on the floor with a crash, limp and unmoving. Charis couldn't see if he was breathing or not. Tears streamed down her face but she didn't make a sound. She heard the vague thumps of the monster's feet as it walked away, satisfied with its work. All she could see was pain. Everywhere, people were suffering. People that she hadn't warned in time had suffered blows from monsters and Makarov had hurt himself to save her. All her new-found confidence disappeared as all she could see was pain that she had caused. She couldn't do this anymore. She wasn't going to cause anyone this much pain ever again.

**Me: A water mage...Juvia?!  
****El: Hehe. You'll find out later!  
****Me: Grrrrr. Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Leaving**

**Me: Why's it called Leaving?  
Levy: Don't spoil it! They have to read to find out!  
Me: Hai, hai.  
Levy: Well, I'll speed up the process. Disclaimed.  
Me: Thanks.**

Charis hadn't done any training since she had hurt Makarov. He had eventually recovered but she knew that he was weakened considerably. She had refused to do any kind of magic as soon as she knew that he was completely better. She had been lending him magical power all the time when he was ill. She had now just locked herself up in her room and poured over the letter that her mother had written to The Council.

Makarov knew that it was Charis' seventeenth birthday soon and he was planning a surprise for her. He knew that only very few things would draw her out of her room but he knew that it would make her feel guilty if she wasn't there to greet Laxus. That would be his ticket to getting her out of her room. She had always felt a duty to be there if he had guests. Apparently, his tea was awful and he had no social skills. Makarov worried about Charis. He knew that his legal guardianship was over as soon as she had turned seventeen and he hoped that she wouldn't leave straight away. He had got quite used to her company and he felt very protective of her.

On Charis' birthday, Makarov went up to her door and knocked on it. "Go away!" Charis shouted, her voice muffled through the door. Makarov sighed and said, "Laxus is here! I invited him for your birthday." He waited a few minutes before the door opened and she walked into the living room completely ignoring him as though nothing had happened. Makarov saddened at her lack of acknowledgement towards him. He followed her in the room and smiled at her surprise as she saw the presents sitting on the table. Laxus was also sitting there, ignoring everyone.

Makarov frowned at Charis' hostile expression as she turned around to him. This was the first time she had acknowledged him in weeks and it was definitely not the way he would have preferred for her to look at him. "I don't want this," Charis said in a low, choked voice, "I don't want any of this! I don't want to cause any more pain." She ran out of the room and Makarov heard the click of the lock as she shut herself back up. Laxus looked at Makarov. "I told you it would never work," he said, "Although I wish she'd stayed longer and made me tea. Yours is awful." Makarov couldn't handle Laxus at the moment. He pointed at the door and Laxus wandered out sighing with exasperation.

Makarov had hoped that Charis would like the surprise he had made for her. Instead, she never even got to see it. Makarov turned over the wrapped amulet that had once been Sara's most prized possession. She had always wanted to give it to her child. Makarov knew how much it would have meant to Charis if she had seen it. Makarov gave up and left the small present outside her door with a small note explaining it. He turned and walked away. He didn't know why Charis was so intent on not causing any pain. It wasn't working too well, anyway. She was causing him more emotional pain by ignoring him than any pain that he had obtained during the fight against the group of monsters.

Later that evening, Makarov sat alone at the table eating dinner. He heard the click of the lock as Charis fetched the tray with her dinner on. It also had the amulet on it. He imagined her reaction but could only see Sara's face on the day she said goodbye.  
_"I'm going no matter what you say!" Sara had tear marks on her face.  
"I'm not trying to stop you. You'll be safer over there."  
"I can't believe this is happening. I thought he had changed."  
"Well, they do say that old habits die hard."  
"Stop it! I know that you never approved of him but even you couldn't think that he would go this far."  
"No. I didn't. I hope for your sake that he gives up soon."  
"I have to go. I won't ever forget you."  
"I won't forget you either."  
"Give this to my daughter when she comes to you. I don't think that Hakai will ever give up trying to kill me." Sara handed him the amulet.  
"Won't you need it?"  
"My daughter will need it more."  
"I'll miss you."  
"Don't ever forget me!" Sara pulled Makarov into a tight hug before leaving through the door to the non-magical world with a last look back at her old life._

Makarov wiped tears from his eyes as he pushed the memory into the back of his mind. "Please don't leave me now, Charis," Makarov whispered, hoping that somehow she would know how much she meant to him. She was what had kept him from becoming an empty shell after losing Sara. She was his last memory of Sara. The way she pushed her hair impatiently form her eyes and the way she sighed in exasperation every time he tried to make tea reminded him of Sara when she was alive.

Suddenly, he saw Charis standing beside him with a determined expression on her face. She was wearing the amulet that he had given to her for her birthday. It was glowing green when it touched her just like it had on Sara. He had given it to Sara on her seventeenth birthday as well. Just then, he noticed the bag that she was carrying and the heavy travel jacket that she was wearing. She was going.

Charis just stood staring at him. She fingered the amulet before she began to speak. "I'm leaving, Makarov," Charis began, "I have to go. Everywhere I go, all I can see is the pain that I am causing. This isn't what I want. I won't use my magic if all I can do is cause more pain. I'm leaving to find myself. I can't stay here and pretend that everything is fine when it isn't. I'm also leaving for you. So far, I've just been you're replacement for Sara. You've never actually got over her death. She was a daughter to you and you were fine with it after a few days because I was here. You thought of me as Sara. I'm not completely like her. I also have a father. I'm like him as well. I can't let you just bury your grief under a pretence of me being her replacement. I'm never going to be like her. You're always going to be disappointed when I don't do things completely like her. You have to think of me as an individual. You can't go on pretending that she isn't gone. She is gone and if you are sad about it you have to deal with it instead of just locking it all up inside and trying to pretend that everything is fine. I'm going and you're not going to stop me. I have to do this. I have to do what is right for me and for you."

Makarov smiled. "That was probably one of the most insensitive but caring lectures I've ever had," he said, "You're right about almost everything so I'm not going to stop you from leaving. You were wrong about one thing though. You may be different from Sara but you're nothing like your father."

Charis stared at Makarov in shock. He had said that she was nothing like her father with so much certainty. She had so many questions to ask him but she knew that each word would make it harder to leave. Instead, she walked to the door and took one last look at Makarov before leaving. She saw the small trace of a tear on his face. Charis turned her head away as her tears started to fall. She closed the door and whispered the one thing that she didn't say to his face, "Goodbye Papa."

**Me: *still crying She left?! Why would she leave?!  
****El: Calm down fairy-chan.  
****Me: *sniff I-I'm okay now.  
****Lucy: Admit it, El. It was really sad.  
****Natsu: *sniff  
****El: Natsu, are you crying?  
****Natsu: No. I'm sweating through my eyes.  
****Me: Thanks for making me laugh, Natsu. Anyway, please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**The Return (Time skip of two years)  
**

**Me: Yay! She's back!  
El: I was going to do P. but I wasn't bothered.  
Me: Ok  
Gajeel: Dis-fuckin'-claimed!  
Lucy: I was my turn to do the disclaimer! *pout  
Natsu: You can do it next time, Luce.  
Me: Sure you can, Lu-chan. _(to Natsu) _Ask her out, dolt!  
Natsu: No way in hell. I don't like her like that!  
Me: *sarcastic Suuuuuuure.**

Natsu was bored. The only interesting thing he could think of was fighting Gray but Erza was keeping a close eye on him. He had taken a look at the jobs but none of them had caught his eye. He knew that he had to find one soon. He was running out of money and he didn't even spend money most of the time. This was getting really bad.

Suddenly, the door to the guild suddenly slammed open. Everyone turned and stared. A girl stood in the entrance. She was wearing a navy dress made of thick travel cloth with a large hood that covered most of her face except for her mouth which was set in determination. Her skirt shimmered as though it was made of pure magic and had small golden circles around her waist like a belt. Her gaze seemed to be focused directly on Makarov at the other end of the guild. Natsu looked at Makarov. He knew that this unknown girl wasn't a member of Fairy Tail. However, as Natsu looked at Makarov he noticed a strange look on his face. Makarov seemed to be stunned and unable to move. There was also recognition on his face.

Natsu watched Makarov and the strange girl as they stared at each other motionlessly. He saw the girl's lips move so little that it could have been easily unnoticed. Unless you were a dragon slayer, of course. Natsu strained his unnaturally sharp ears to hear what she said. Natsu wasn't sure but he was pretty sure that she had said "Papa". Natsu gazed in shock as the girl started to walk towards Makarov as though she was forcing herself not to run. She spent about two seconds standing in front of him before she walked out again. However, she didn't leave quick enough for everyone to see the black mark on her hand, signifying her as a member of Fairy Tail. Natsu frowned and also walked out of the door. He had to find out who she was and why she knew Makarov. As he left he heard the buzz of voices saying things like, "Who was she?" or "When did she join Fairy Tail? I've never seen her before". Nobody had seen or heard the strange exchange that Natsu had heard.

Charis felt ashamed for freezing all of the people but she had to talk to Makarov alone. Of course, he had made her let Mira listen in but she seemed trustworthy enough. If she wasn't, Charis could always annihilate her. She walked along the bank of the river that ran along the city. The water always helped her to feel relaxed. That was why she had bought a houseboat. It was somewhere to live and it was in water. It was perfect for her.

"Wait!" Charis froze as she heard the voice calling to her. She turned around and saw a pink-haired boy running along behind her, curiosity in his face. Charis recognised him from the guild. She didn't want anyone to know her secrets yet. That would have to wait for another time. The boy had reached her by now. She turned away from him. "Let me go home in peace," she sighed. She walked towards her boat, hoping that he'd take a hint. She stepped on board and heard a snigger come from the boy. "You live in that thing?" he snickered. Rage filled Charis and she stepped back off her boat. She walked over to him and grabbed him by the shirt. "Why did you follow me?" she growled, "You had no right to do that." Charis remembered what she had been told while she had been away. She let all of the fight out of her. She let go of the boy's shirt and whispered, "Leave." She watched him as he ran away. She knew why she did this now. Why she was always so violent and rough with people. Why she caused pain. She remembered the wise woman telling her.  
_"It's not your fault, honey. Don't feel responsible for it. You can't help it."  
"I have to be able to! If I don't then I'll be no better than any common robber, except I'm the robber of happiness."  
"I don't mean that you can't stop it. I mean that it's in your blood."  
"What do you mean?"  
"When you were born, you also had a twin-  
"A twin? I had a sibling?"  
"Yes. You had a brother that was born first. Now, you two were destined for two different ways. One was destined for evil and one was destined for good. Your mother felt that if she taught you right that you could have a different life. It would be one of temptation but one of good."  
"Wait! I was destined for evil?"  
"Yes, dear. Your mother thought that if she left your brother with your father that he would turn out good through all of his evil doings. So she brought you with her when her life was in danger. She wanted to keep you from evil. If only she was right…"  
"What do you mean? I'm not evil!"  
"Not about you, dear. She was wrong about your brother. Jikan was led into evil ways from a young age. He never knew anything else. Everything that was right and good to him was what his father had taught him. He knew no better. He didn't even know who his mother was."_

Charis felt a tear roll down her cheek. She knew that her brother was out there somewhere, being led down wrong paths by her father. This was meant to be her. She was the one that was meant to be doing wrong. Not her brother. Not Jikan. She sighed and went inside. She couldn't change what had happened. She only wished that she could._  
_

**Me: She has an evil brother and an evil father. What next? She beats up Laxus?  
El: How is that related?  
Me: Dunno, just thought I'd ask.  
El: Well, close. Next chapter The Fight.  
Me: Review...  
El: Or we will hunt you down...  
Me: And feed you to Natsu.  
Natsu: Leave me outta this!  
Me: Haha  
El: We were just kidding Natsu.  
Both: Stand, bow, AYE, SIR!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**The Fight**

**Me: Sooooooo, who's she fighting?  
El: Perry the Platypus.  
Me: Stop watching my brother's TV shows and come help me!  
El: Get Lucy to do it.  
Me: Arg. Lucy, if you please.  
Lucy: Disclaimer. All original Fairy Tail characters, setting etc. belongs to Hiro Mashima.  
Me: Well, you're more helpful than SOMEONE I know.  
El: Without me there wouldn't be a story to disclaim. Remember that. *scary Erza face  
Me: H-hai!  
**

Charis walked into the guild that morning and was met by stares and unabashed whispering. She was still wearing her travel dress from yesterday. She could hardly bare for Makarov to see the changes that she had taken on in the last two years. She walked over to an empty table and sat down, hoping that they're curiosity stayed at staring and whispering.

Charis looked up as she heard a noise from upstairs. Laxus was standing at the rail. Once he knew that she had seen him, he grinned widely. "I knew you'd come back," he mouthed. She grinned and waved her hand in a salute back. Makarov must have told him. He wouldn't have recognised her if he didn't know.

Everyone stared in shock at the familiar gesture that had taken place between Laxus and the strange girl. That was one of the first times in years that Laxus had looked happy. They must have known each other well if they were on such good terms.

Someone suddenly piped up, "What's your name?" Charis sighed and turned to face them. They're curiosity had got the better of them. She knew that as soon as she answered there would be a volley of more questions.  
"My name is Charis. Charis Chishiki. People also call me Conscientia as a nickname but I have no idea who started it."  
"I think I've heard that surname before," someone whispered.  
"How do you know our master?"  
"He's my legal guardian and he's not just your master. I'm part of Fairy Tail now too."  
"How do you know Laxus?"  
"Why did you ask me that? I just told you that Makarov is my legal guardian. How do you think I know Laxus? He's like a brother to me."  
"What magic do you do?"

Charis stopped dead at that question. She had no idea what to say. According to what the wisewoman had told her, Jikan was the one who was supposed to take over her mother's name of Timekeeper but she still had the same skills. Charis looked at Makarov to see if he would give her help. "Fight outside in ten minutes!" Makarov yelled. Everyone started buzzing with excitement and filed outside.

Charis went over to Makarov. "Thanks for your help," she said gratefully. Makarov laughed and said, "No problem. Now we just have to find someone to fight you. I think that you should fight an S-Class wizard. If you win, then you're automatically S-Class as well." Makarov looked at Laxus questioningly. Laxus stared back horrified. "No way am I getting beaten by a girl," he answered Makarov's silent question. Makarov shrugged and said, "I suppose we'll have to get Erza to do it, then. She'll never refuse."

Natsu waited outside the door of the guild. He had overheard the conversation between the girl, Charis, and Makarov and Laxus. He had no idea how crazy strong this girl was or what she did. He kept imagining someone like Erza, except with brown hair, chasing him around with a battle-axe. He shivered and walked over to where the fight was taking place. Makarov must have told Erza what she was doing because she was already waiting for Charis to get there.

Natsu saw Charis walk out of the guild and stand opposite Erza. Everyone was putting bets on Erza. They all thought that there was no way for the new girl to win against her. Charis pulled at a ribbon around her neck and threw her hooded travel cloak off. Underneath, she was wearing a dress made of red fabric. Her skirt was still the same strange fabric that seemed to be made out of magic. He gazed in shock as he saw her face. She had alabaster skin that seemed to have no flaws. Her eyes were such a deep and dark black that they seemed to pull you into them. Her hair was brown at the front, but as it twirled itself into a high bun at the back, it seemed to get darker and darker until it was almost black at some parts. He looked around and saw Makarov stumble in shock. She had obviously changed since he had last seen her.

Makarov rattled off the same things he always did before a fight but just before they started he said, "This isn't really a fair fight. Charis, give Erza twelve minutes." Everyone gazed in shock as they heard him say this. That was not what they had expected. A few people scuttled over to Cana to change their bets but they had no chance. Cana never let anyone change bets.

Charis and Erza faced each other. "Conscientia," Erza acknowledged curtly. Charis cocked her head and said, while smiling amusedly as though she was going to be an easy opponent, "Titania." The fight started. Erza threw five knives at Charis, hoping to knock her over. However, Charis was quick and observant. She just danced around them as though they were nothing, her skirt whipping around like a tornado. She wasn't using any magic as far as anyone could tell. Erza started to back Charis into a corner. As soon as Charis could go nowhere else, Erza prepared two swords to pin her to the wall. Charis smiled confidently and said, "Time's up!" Her skirt changed colour from blues and greens to reds and yellows.

Erza threw her swords towards her. Charis smiled with a glint in her eyes and held up her hand as if giving a command. The swords stop abruptly in mid-air. Everyone gasped as she turned her hand and flicked it, causing the swords to fly back towards Erza. Erza recovered her composure and caught them. Nobody had ever seen a power like this.

Erza tried to catch Charis a few more times but all of them were useless against her. Suddenly, Erza changed her tactics and charged towards her with the swords. So far, everyone had only seen her control the swords but as Erza raised her arms to strike, Charis raised her hand and Erza was frozen to the spot. She moved her hand forward forcefully and Erza was sent flying backwards. Charis put her hand back down and Erza started again as if she didn't know that she had been frozen. Her strike fell emptily into thin air. She was confused as she stared at where she was. She looked up to Charis who smiled sweetly and waved at her before thrusting her hand forwards, knocking Erza backwards onto the floor. "I won," she proclaimed and walked away. Erza couldn't get up off the floor but she threw two swords at Charis. Without warning, Charis threw up her hand without turning around. The swords stopped again. Charis slowly turned back to Erza. "I said, I won," she said dangerously. Her hair turned completely black and her eyes went completely black all over as she stared at Erza. She tightened her hand into a fist and the swords crumbled into dust. She started to walk back to the guild and yelled back, "I'll replace them, if you want."

People gaped as they watched her back disappear into the guild. They had never seen anything like it. First of all, she had beaten Erza without even getting out of breath. Then she had a very strange power that nobody had heard of, or seen, before. Also, the changing colour of her skirt and hair was practically disturbing. People walked back into the guild and sat down. Levy was stuck into research to see if she could find anything about Charis' power.

Charis walked over to Makarov. He was grinning at everyone. He looked at her and said, "Congratulations. You're now an S-Class wizard." Charis smiled at him.  
"I'm sorry."  
"What are you sorry for?"  
" For leaving you, coming back and looking so different. I don't really know why I'm saying sorry but it just seemed appropriate."  
"It is true that you looked different. At first, I thought that you were Sara."  
"I can't believe you thought I was Sara! I look nothing like my mother anymore."  
"Of course you do. I thought it was her because I couldn't see your face and you were wearing her clothes."  
"That makes sense. I didn't think of that."  
Charis smiled and walked over to Levy, knowing that she would want her in a few minutes.

Levy looked up and saw Charis standing over her. "You wanted me, didn't you?" she asked. Levy started in shock, she had just been about to call her over.  
"How did you know that I wanted you?"  
"It's a long story, but basically I can tell the future."  
"Wow! Is that part of your skills? What I've been researching has only talked about things that you did in the fight with Erza, not about telling the future."  
"I got my skills from different people. The stuff with Erza is my most prominent skill. I got it off my mother. The telling the future is what I got off my dad."  
"Oh! Just a question, do you know of the myth of Sara Chishiki?"  
"The myth?"  
"Yeah! There was supposed to be some girl that had powers similar to yours and she did loads of good stuff around the world. In the stories, they used to call her the Timekeeper. The weird thing is, she has the same surname as you."  
"Levy! For someone as smart as I've been told you are, you can really ignore the stuff that is right in front of your eyes. Why do you think I have the same surname as Sara? She was my mother and she was not a myth!" It hurt Charis to have to speak about her mother in the past tense but it couldn't be helped. Sara wasn't around anymore.  
"Your mother? Not a myth? This is totally weird..."  
"It's surreal for me that you thought that my mother was a myth, honey."  
"I've been thinking about what you said. You said that Sara _was _your mother. What is she now if she's not your mother?"  
"She's dead."  
"Oh, I'm so sorry. It wasn't that deadly fever that went around a few years back was it?"  
"No. She was murdered."  
"What! Why would anyone murder her? Do you know who it was?"  
"Lots of people wanted to murder her so that she wouldn't mess with their messed-up plans to take over the world. The only person who actually did anything about it was Hakai. My own father." Charis' face twisted in anger as she was forced to remember what had happened to her mother. Her father had done the terrible deed, but it was her brother that had ordered it. Sara's son had ordered his own mother's death.  
"Whoa! I'm so sorry about that…I should probably leave you alone now."

Charis sighed in relief as Levy walked away. She heard her telling a group of inquisitive people about her powers, but thankfully nothing about her mother's death. She could hardly bare people to know all about it. She barely looked up as Erza sat down beside her. Apparently, Erza had been really annoyed since she had been beaten so easily.  
"Hi…I heard what happened to your mother," Erza started, "I'm really sorry. You probably don't want to talk about it though, huh?"  
"You're right there. You'd know all about it, wouldn't you? What with Jellal and all."  
"How do you know about Jellal? You didn't tell anyone about it, right? I don't want anyone to know!"  
"It's alright. I know all of that already. I found out because I can read the past as well as the future. I did it during the battle because I wanted to find out about you. I'm sorry about that."  
"It's grand. I thought that you might have known Jellal, but I guess I was wrong."  
"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to get your hopes up."  
Erza and Charis both sat together in silence before smiling at each other. It was official, they were definitely friends.

**Me: Yay, Erza and Charis are friends.  
Mira: I'm glad Chishi-chan is getting closer to people in the guild.  
Me: Don't forget her bad start with Natsu though.  
El: Next chapter's name has not been decided but it's gonna be good.  
Me: Oh yeah. They always are, but Mira's gonna like the next one especially.  
Mira: Oooooooooo. There's gonna be love, right? Am I right?  
Me: Are you ever wrong on that subject?  
Mira: Eeeepppp!  
Me: Please, wait patiently for the next chapter...  
El: And REVIEW!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**The…We Still Can't Decide**

**Me: Teheheh. It's up, the new chapter! Yay!  
El: You're hyper.  
Me: I know I am but what are you?  
El: A version on Erza *glare  
Me: Eepp! D-discl-claimed!  
El: *smile Good.  
**

Charis sighed as she walked through the busy train station. She saw a few people stop and stare as she walked past them. She wished Erza had been there with her. That might have explained how she defeated a whole dark guild on her own. Then again, it would also make it a whole lot less fun. All she had to do when she got there was flick her hand and there were all defeated. It had seemed just slightly too easy, but maybe they were just the usual pushovers and not really a dark guild at all.

Charis looked at the time and widened her eyes. It was only ten minutes until her train and she still had to find the stupid thing. She sighed and shook her head. Train stations really weren't her thing. They were way too busy. Charis quickened her pace and crashed straight into someone heading the opposite way. "I'm so sorry," they both said at the same time. Charis stared in shock at the person she had bumped into. She couldn't even see his face! It was completely covered up. She smiled and said, "I'm really sorry. I was trying to find my train and I was running a bit late. Could you help me?"  
"I'm in a bit of a hurry, myself," the strange guy said, "I have to catch the 11:55 train to Magnolia."  
"Really? I'm trying to find that train too!" Charis smiled, "I guess you're going the right way, though."  
"Yeah! Follow me," the guy laughed. Charis smiled and followed him as he led the way through the train station. Of course, it just had to be the opposite way to where she had been going. Ugh! She was never going to like train stations. Why did they have to be so confusing?

They found the train and got on. They sat down together. Somehow, in all the confusion, they seemed to be friends. Charis felt a small jolt as the train began to set off. She smiled and relaxed, everything was going to be just fine. She smoothed down her trousers and remembered what Makarov had said to her before she left to go on the job.  
_"You have to look more normal on this job. No more strange magical energy skirts or dresses. You should wear trousers like most other people."  
"Erza wears armour everywhere."  
"I know, but I can't really stop her from doing that. If you wear your dress when you're defeating that dark guild, you'll be really easy to find if they want to take revenge."  
"Fine. I won't wear my dress, but I can't promise that I'll look completely normal."  
"Why is everyone so obstinate around here?"  
"Don't worry. We all feel guilty when we're obstinate." _

She remembered his shock when she had come back wearing this for her job. She had walked into the guild and watched Makarov as he looked apprehensively at her. He obviously hadn't expected anything like what she was wearing. She was wearing a red top with black sleeves and red trousers that went just below her knees. He probably was surprised that she hadn't worn anything more outlandish but he hadn't said anything about it. He'd just looked sad. He always looked sad when he was remembering Sara. At least she had been wearing something slightly normal. She wouldn't be so easy to track down now.

Suddenly, Charis heard a small commotion in the next train carriage. A few people screamed and she heard a few children crying. She wondered what everyone was upset about. A few seconds later the door connecting her carriage to the next was flung open. Five people stood menacingly in the doorway. Charis saw the unmistakeable symbol on each of their jackets. She knew someone was going to take revenge no matter what clothes she wore. It was the dark guild she had destroyed. She had thought they had been too easy to defeat.

She stood up to announce her presence. "I guess you're looking for me," she said tiredly. A few people gasped as they recognised the dark guild that had almost destroyed the town just a few days ago. She knew what they must be thinking. They were probably thinking that she was part of them. At least she could prove them wrong in that aspect. She stared at the three guys and the two girls that stood in front of her. She quickly scanned through their pasts. They were the strongest in their guild. The two girls were twins. They both dealt in darkness and deception. The three guys consisted of two elemental mages and a mage dealing with memory. She quickly shielded herself from any of their attacks. None of them could get through the boundaries of time.

She saw the guy she was sitting with stand up as if to protect her. "Hey!" she said fiercely at him, "I can handle this myself." He reluctantly sat back down casting a nervous glance back at the dark wizards. She knew from his reaction that he must be a mage. She looked up at the wizards who had come to take revenge. One of the twins spoke in a high and breathy voice, " Don't get too confident now. We are the strongest wizards in our guild. We have even surpassed our master. We have come to take revenge for you destroying our guild."  
"Maybe you shouldn't get too confident. I did destroy your guild on my own."  
"So? All of the others are very weak. Even so, it must have taken you a while. I bet you didn't even defeat our master."  
"That depends. Is he the one with the grey beard that went with all the rest of them when I flicked my hand?"  
"What? You're definitely bluffing. She has to be bluffing, right?" The twin turned in shock to the tallest of the group that dealt with memory. He seemed to be the leader of their gang.

Charis smiled threateningly at them, but was stopped in her tracks by a small whimpering behind her. A small child was cowering behind a seat in fear. She heard a hiss of excitement as the five realised that they had found her weak spot. She saw the twins raise their hands to strike at the girl. Charis froze time on everyone behind her. They couldn't harm them now. She didn't bother with her companion. He could take care of himself. She tilted her head as if daring them to do their worst on the child. She saw the twins nod at each other as if to tell each other to do it. Their spell was extremely powerful but was completely useless against the time barrier on the girl. Charis watched in delight as the twins eyes widened as they realised that their spell hadn't hit.

Charis spoke up, "Seeing as you proclaim yourselves to be so powerful, I suppose I'll have to show you what real power looks like." She pulled her hair from its tight hairstyle and felt the familiar tingle as she let her power run through her and her hair turn black. She felt the black in her eyes spread until there was no white, just an expanse of black that pulled you into it and chilled you to the bone. The five froze in shock as they saw her change. They must have been expecting something slightly more golden and serene-looking. They recovered themselves and started to sneer. "I see we've got a proper evil one over here," the memory mage said mockingly. Charis felt the familiar rage flow through her and this time she didn't suppress it. She looked fiercely at the mage and said threateningly, "You don't know the half of it."

The five dark wizards prepared themselves for a fight. She let the first few spells fall uselessly as they reached her time barrier. Eventually she got bored and let a small amount of her power slip through her composure. What felt like a heavy wind flowed through the train. The five mages were completely taken aback. "What was that?" they whispered to each other fearfully.  
"That, my dear enemies, is time," Charis said, smiling blissfully as she felt the familiar touch of it across her skin. She saw them staring around as if expecting to see some kind of clock sending it around. "I'm bored," Charis decided. She lifted her hand to open the carriage door. They stared at her hand as if it was diseased. She lifted her other hands and watched their surprised faces as she tossed them out of the train.

Charis felt her hair and eyes turn back to normal and unfroze the people on the train. She tied up her hair again and sat down beside her mage companion. She did some quick searching around his past and widened her eyes as she discovered some of his secrets. He stared at her, completely taken aback by her calm demeanour. "I can read the past and the future," Charis said to him as though talking about the weather.  
"Nice to know," her companion replied after regaining his composure.  
Charis flashed him a smile and said, "We have something in common."  
"Really? What's that?" he was curious now. Charis smiled cunningly and showed him her hand and gauged his reaction as he saw the Fairy Tail logo stamped there. She waited for a while before she talked again. She knew that he was quite shocked.  
"Hey!" Charis grabbed his attention, "What's like in Edolas, Mystogan?"

**Levy: That's it? I want more!  
Me: Me too but we have to wait. El's writing three stories at the moment, remember?  
Levy: Yeah, I know. But can't she write faster?  
Me: Look she's asleep!  
El: *deep breathes  
Levy: Hey, she doesn't look so fierce when she's asleep. Maybe Erza's like that. One way to find out! Sleepover!  
Me: Sure leave me here alone, thanks.  
El: *sleep mumbling My…strawberry…cake  
Me; *sweat drop She really is Erza!**


End file.
